‘The Office:’ ‘As mysteriously as he arrived, he was gone’

So, Michael’s spur-of-the-moment decision to quit rather than endure the oversight of the fun-squelching (but oh-so-handsome!) Charles Miner seems to be sticking. One week into his two-week notice we learn, as Jim noted, that there actually is a big difference between Michael trying and Michael not trying.

And the question of whether Dwight or Jim (or even possibly Andy) would move into the private office has been resolved — Charles Miner is looking for an outside hire, “for obvious reasons.” In the meantime, he has appointed Kevin to take care of the phones, and crossword-loving Stanley as “productivity czar.”

Michael, meanwhile, has finally settled on a plan for his life after Dunder Mifflin: He’s starting — wait for it — his own paper company! (“This is a dream I’ve had since lunch, and I’m not giving it up.”) He tries to bring his Scranton branch family with him, but everyone he asks personally — even the kiss-up Andy — turns him down and gently, kindly tries to steer him away from that disastrous path. Everyone but, of course, the lovely Pam, who seems game for a change. She’s never been particularly enamored of the receptionist gig — she stayed in it so long, one suspects, because it kept her in close contact with Jim during the sort-of-harmless flirtation years — and now she seems delighted to play Renee Zellwegger to his Tom Cruise.

What we learned:Prince Paper, the friendly outfit that Michael set out to crush at David Wallace’s direction, is, in fact, out of business. Dwight’s German “is pre-industrial and mostly religious.”

Unanswered questions: How long will it take for the Scranton folks to miss Michael? And is Charles Miner likely to choose either Angela or Kelly?

Best lines: Michael, describing his beverage-of-choice as the clock runs down on his two-weeks notice: “Scotch and Splenda: Tastes like Splenda, getting drunk like Scotch.” Jim, directing Michael to the Web site he actually wants (and away from the one he seems to have found, based on the scary sounds coming from his office): “It’s monster.com. Singular.” Michael, explaining why he remains undeterred even though no one is willing to join him in his new venture: “I had a great time at prom, and nobody said yes to that, either.”